Amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, several online accounts are circulating a video claiming to show an American jet fighter evading missiles from Iran. This is false.
The clip is merely a virtual simulation posted by a YouTube channel that produces military simulation videos. It is not real-life combat footage from the war of the United States and Israel with Iran.
On March 1, a Facebook user uploaded a 32-second video showing aerial footage of an “Iranian” missile chasing a “U.S.” jet fighter, with the latter expertly maneuvering in the sky to evade getting hit. At one point, it showed the jet rotate and sharply turn upward, successfully dodging the missile.
The following text was overlaid on the video:
“Galing talaga ng mga Piloto ng jet fighter ng america (The pilot of the American jet fighter is really skilled).”
Its caption also stated:
“Di umubra ang mga missile ng iran sa galing ng pilito (sic) (Iran’s missiles were no match for the pilot’s skill).”
At least two FB users reposted the clip on the same day and on March 2. One of them, however, claimed that the jet fighter was manned by an Israeli pilot. It also cautioned Filipinos abroad to stay safe.
A reverse image search of frames from the clip led to a YouTube Short published on Feb. 28 by the channel Creative Comparison. A quick review of the channel shows that it regularly posts simulations of military combat scenarios.
According to the channel’s description, it offers “high-quality military simulation content” with immersive combat scenarios and strategic gameplay to bring “realistic military sim[ulation] experiences to life.”
In the caption of the original video, the channel also mentioned that the clip is a “high-fidelity simulation” featuring the American jet fighter F/A-18 Hornet and the Soviet anti-air system Osa-AKM.
A cartoon-ish landscape can be seen at the beginning of the original video, a tell-tale sign that it is not footage of any real-world conflict.
The false posts appeared a few days after the U.S. and Israel launched major attacks against Iran on Feb 28. Iran retaliated by attacking countries in the Middle East with U.S. military assets, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait.
Published by an FB user, the video has so far received 1.2 million views; 12,000 reactions; 300 comments; and 900 comments. Other copies shared by two other netizens received 573,000 views; 449 comments; and 346 shares in total.
